Sister
by DarkMagicianGirl1988
Summary: Siblings Yugi and Kanami haven't seen each other since their parents died. Now nine years later, he is the host of a pharaoh's spirit and she is one of Dartz's most powerful duelists. With the world at stake, loyalties are put to the test.
1. Chapter 1

I want to say thanks to everyone who read my other fanfic "If You Weren't Here," especially those who left reviews. I really appreciate it.

This story might take me a while to complete. 1. I'm a perfectionist, and 2. This story is very special to me. It centers around my first Yu-gi-oh OC, Kanami (prounonced CON-uh-me). Plus, I came up with this plot a couple years ago and this is the first time I've actually written it down. Anyway, please enjoy. :D

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-gi-oh.

Rated T for swearing.

**Chapter 1: Time To Duel**

Kanami Mutou was getting impatient.

"Your move, Valon," she said in a sarcastically cheerful voice, "any time now." The blue-eyed brunette teenager didn't even bother to look up from his cards. He replied in a thick Australian accent.

"You say that like you're winning, but okay." He never did make his next move because at that moment a burly and extremely tall blond man interrupted them.

"All right, that's enough. We've got real duels to fight." He said. Valon grudgingly started to gather up his cards, but the brunette girl scolded.

"Oh, come on, Raphael! Think of this as practice. We can't take people's souls if we can't beat them."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Raphael moaned, walking out of the room as he said it.

"You got lucky this time, Kanami. Next duel, you'll be crushed." Said Valon cheerfully. Kanami smirked at him, but her amethyst eyes gave away her self-doubt. She rarely defeated Valon in a duel and she wasn't winning when they were interrupted.

Kanami and Valon followed Raphael through the long hallway, knowing full well that he had interrupted them for something important. He wouldn't have cared one way or the other how they spent their time, unless he needed them. He was nice enough to them, but as a general rule, he kept to himself. They had not been walking long when a skinny red-haired young man joined them.

"Hi, Alister." said Kanami.

"Hey Nami, Valon." he replied.

"Morning, mate." answered Valon.

Kanami didn't often beat Alister in a duel either, and she had never beaten Raphael. It wasn't that she was a terrible duelist. Those three just had more experience than she had. She was nineteen and had only been dueling for the past four years. Raphael who was twenty-three had been dueling for five years and eighteen year-old Alister had been dueling for seven years. Valon was seventeen years old and had only been dueling for three years, but he seemed to have a real gift, because even two weeks into starting, he was dueling like a pro.

It was depressing to think about, because Kanami used to duel beautifully when she was a child, but unfortunately she was forced to quit for many years. That wasn't her fault, of course.

The enormous hallway finally ended to reveal a even bigger room. Torches hung from every wall, yet the room was still dimly lit. There were massive columns supporting the dome like roof above, with a giant serpent carved in a spiral around each one. In front of them was a small flight of stairs and at the top were three serpent statues that were woven into the wall, so that it seemed that they were slithering down from the roof to the floor. Their mouths opened wide to reveal sharp fangs and they really did seem alive. The room, actually, the whole building was ancient. Thousands of years old, and yet for some reason, it seemed brand new. Either way, it was beautiful.

Kneeling in front of the snakes was a man in a long cloak. He no doubt heard them come in, but stayed where he was. Raphael bent down on one knee and the others followed suit. Raphael spoke up.

"You asked for us, Sir?"

The cloaked figure finally stood up and turned to reveal a blue haired man.

"The time has arrived, my children," he answered, "I have found a spell that will allow me to lock onto the power of the Egyptian God Cards. That alone will enable me to open the door to the Shadow Realm. The Leviathan will be freed from his prison there, but he won't be strong enough to emerge here in our world."

"In other words, we need to work overtime," replied Alister.

"Yes, for the Leviathan to rise, we need powerful souls."

"Like the soul of the Pharaoh," said Raphael.

"For starters," the cloaked man replied.

"Right, let's get rolling then," Valon answered.

"Well said, Valon, I will begin the spell this morning, be ready for anything. You're dismissed." Kanami and the others stood up and answered in unison:

"Yes Master Dartz." They began to leave, but Dartz continued,

"Kanami, I want a word with you." Kanami was surprised, but she stayed and said nothing. She knew better than to contradict this man. Dartz turned to face a large vat of oil and lit the oil on fire. He motioned for Kanami to stand next to him and he stared at the fire concentrating. The image of a face appeared in the fire. Kanami's blood turned cold. It was her little brother, Yugi. The image looked very much like a movie, Yugi was walking down a sidewalk, smiling and talking. Kanami could just make out the arms and legs of his friends passing through the fire, but the image was mostly focused on Yugi.

"I have often heard you talking to the others about your brother, Kanami." Said Dartz. Kanami nodded. She knew what was coming.

"I have also noticed that you've been saving the newspaper clippings about him," he continued, "I told you to let go of your past. As a servant of the Orichalcos, it is your duty to do so. Your previous family no longer exists for you. This is where you belong."

"Yes, Master Dartz." Kanami replied, bowing her head respectively, "I will do better."

"Perhaps you need to learn to have more respect for the Orichalcos. Go out and collect twelve new souls. I will give you three days. You may go now."

"Yes Sir."

Kanami groaned under her breath. Twelve souls, in three days! That meant she had to duel a minimum of four people a day! One duel alone took a lot of energy.

But what could she do? When Dartz gave an order, no one dared to argue. Dartz may have been trying to save the world, but he wasn't a kind man. Not that it mattered to Kanami though. However cruelly he treated her now, this was the same man who took her in when she had nowhere else to go and gave her more power than she even thought possible.

Still, that didn't mean she had to obey. It just meant she had to be extremely careful not to get caught. When she reached her room, she went straight to the opposite wall where she kept all the pictures of her brother that she had collected. She smiled at them adoringly.

It had been three years now that he had become the top duelist in the world, aptly named "King of Games." Any one who played the well-loved game of Duel Monsters knew him and Kanami had saved every mention of him that she could find. She wasn't all that surprised. He had always been great at any game. He beat her at every board game and puzzle they played as children, even though he was two years younger than her. She was so proud. She pulled the pictures gently off the wall one by one and held them stalked together. She looked around the room.

"_Well now what?_" she thought. She certainly was not getting rid of them, but she couldn't let Dartz find them. Then she remembered a loose brick in that same wall. She had never fixed it because it opened up a small space between that and another wall. It was dirty, but it still made for a great little hiding spot and now she was glad she had saved it for just that purpose. Kanami snatched up a small box and dumped the contents on her desk. She put the pictures inside, slid the box into hole, and replaced the brick.

Dartz just didn't understand. Yugi was Kanami's whole reason for fighting. She was rebuilding paradise on earth for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Worst Day of My Life**

_Nine Years Ago:_

"But Mommy! Daddy!" Kanami whined.

"I'm sorry, Kanami, but no. You'll just have to deal." Her mother responded without looking up. Kanami's father and little brother Yugi walked into the room then.

"Why don't you ask Jessie to take you?" said Kanami's dad. Kanami stuck up her nose. The teenage babysitter, Jessica, was not going to take Kanami and Yugi to the fair. Kanami was sure of it. She and Jessie didn't _quite_ see eye to eye. Yugi didn't like the idea either.

"It won't be the same," he said, clinging to his dad, "Why can't you take us?" The man picked up his son and wrapped his free arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"We can't take you two because we have to go to a meeting. Your mother and I have very important jobs and we would get in trouble for not showing up. It's not that we don't want to take you. It's just that we have a responsibility."

"What's responsibility?" Yugi asked. This time his mother spoke up.

"It's when you have something you have to do. Sometimes you enjoy it and sometimes you don't, but it still has to be done."

"That doesn't mean we have to like it." Kanami answered. She felt her mother kiss her on the head.

"This is only the first day of the fair," she told the children, "there will be plenty of chances to go together, just not today."

That was the end of that. The last thing their parents said was that Jessie had called to say she was ten minutes away and that they had given her a spare key, so Kanami couldn't lock her outside again. Then they were gone.

"So what do you want to do now?" said Yugi. Kanami was silent. "We could ride our bikes."

"Or, we could go to the fair by ourselves." Kanami said slyly.

"But Mommy and Daddy told us to ask Jessie!"

"Jessie won't take us. She hates us."

"Not really. She likes me. She hates you." Kanami looked at Yugi in disgust.

"Well that was rude!"

"You're the one who put ketchup in her purse."

"Well she told me to sit up straight and eat ladylike bites!" Kanami grumbled. "Do you want to go to the fair or not?" Yugi shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"Everybody is going to be so mad at us." He finally said.

"I'll tell everyone it was my idea. You won't be in any trouble."

"You promise?"

"I promise," thinking over what their parents had said, she added, "It's my responsibility to look after you."

It worked. Yugi perked up and said. "All right, let's go."

Kanami held tight to her excited little brother's hand. Being a seven-year-old going to the fair, he quickly got over his fear of getting in trouble Still, Kanami was his ten-year-old sister, so it didn't take long to lose her patience.

"Stop it, Yugi! I'm in charge and I don't want us to get separated!" she snapped.

"Does that mean I have to hold your hand all day?" he moaned. "Well then you'd better go faster then this." He tried to pull away again. "I want to go in the Fun House. I hope you want to go in the Fun House, cause I have to hold your hand."

Kanami stuck out her tongue. It was her answer to every argument that she couldn't win with words, his too.

The fair was great. The siblings spent every penny they had on rides and food. By the time they finally decided to go home, the afternoon was almost over. They were both tired, but the house was half a mile away and the nearest bus stop was nowhere close to where they were. Their home was in the woods. It wasn't a big forest, but if you didn't know where it was, you could pass right by without knowing it was there.

"Kanami," Yugi said worriedly, "What are we going to tell Jessie?"

"Hmph! We're going to tell her how much fun we had without her." Kanami replied smugly.

When they reached the front of the house, they were surprised to see a police car there. Yugi jumped behind Kanami and grabbed her arm like it was a lifeline.

"Jessie called the police and now she gonna have us arrested!"

"Get real Yugi!"

Kanami never remembered why she just went to the front door and opened it expecting it to be unlocked, but for some reason, it was. The siblings walked in to find two officers standing at the dining room table talking to Jessie who was sitting there with her face in her hands. When she looked up at the children, they noticed she had been crying.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" She said partly shocked and partly through tears.

"Are these the children?" asked one of the officers while looking at his notes, "Uh, Yugi and Kanami?"

"Yes. I didn't know where they were. Mr. and Mrs. Mutoh called me to come watch them and they weren't here when I arrived. I didn't know what to think," replied Jessie. She jumped up and grabbed both of the children in a bone-crushing hug. Kanami suddenly had an icy cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Jessie," she said meekly, "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I wanted to go the fair today with Yugi and… please don't cry." Jessie pulled back and bit her lip. It looked like she wasn't sure what to do next. One of the officers spoke up.

"Miss, if you'd prefer, we can tell them."

"No. No, I'm fine. I'll tell them."

Jessie led Yugi and Kanami into the living room and invited them to sit down on the couch. She herself knelt on one knee, so that she could talk to them at eye level. Kanami and Yugi looked at each other. A growing expression of panic was on both their faces. Something was terribly wrong.

"It's not that. You're not in trouble. Yugi, Kanami, your mom and dad were on their way to work this morning, right?" The siblings nodded. "Well, there was… an accident."

"Are they okay?" Yugi shouted. Jessie took a deep breath before she finished.

"No, they're not. They died sweetie. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

Note: I forgot to say in my disclaimer that I also don't own any of the brand names mentioned in this story, including Suzuki. Secondly, it's hard for me to describe what the duel monsters look like, so I'm going to just put in their full card names so they can be looked up. I recomend Yu-gi-oh Wikia (Don't own that either.)

**Chapter 3: Those Aren't Holograms**

Kanami shook off the memory of that day. An accident she said, yeah right. The only accident that occurred was the next day when one of the police officers unintentionally told Kanami what really happened that day. That was the day she and Yugi first saw the orphanage and the last day they saw Jessie and the house.

Kanami was wandering around, exploring the orphanage when she passed by the office of the woman who ran the place. She heard her name mentioned and stopped to listen just outside the door. No one ever found out she had been there. The officer who had brought her and Yugi there was relaying what had taken place yesterday.

Her parents were driving when they came across a couple that seemed to be having car trouble. They stopped to help only to find out that the two were actually car thieves and the whole thing was a setup to lure drivers off the road. They shot Kanami's parents and took off with the car.

Kanami was sick. Jessie and everyone else had looked her and Yugi straight in the eyes and lied. Oh she knew why. They probably thought it was too much to handle at the time, but Kanami didn't want their pity, she wanted the truth. But what was particularly upsetting was how her parents did die. They were killed because they were kind enough to go out of their way and help perfect strangers!

"Well that's not going to happen to me," she told herself, "My parents tried to be nice and what did it get them? This world is a horrible place, but I refuse to let it take me. I'm going to fight back."

She reached into her pocket and took out the photograph that she had been carrying around for nine years. It showed all four of them, her, Yugi, and their parents, at a picnic. It was all so picturesque. It was taken a year before their death, a year before any of them knew what the world did to nice people like them, nice people who didn't belong. Kanami focused on her brother in the photo. He looked as cheery then as he did now in the newspaper clippings.

"I'm going to fight back always. That's why I agreed to join Dartz in the first place. Just wait a little longer Yugi, I'll make this world a better place for both of us."

Now back to the problem at hand. Twelve souls in three days, unbelievable! Well, no time like the present. She grabbed her motorcycle helmet and leather jacket from the desk. She stepped in front of the mirror briefly.

Her father's deep purple eyes stared back at her and saw what could only be described as a biker chick. Kanami's style in clothes was some kind of cross between Goth and tomboy. Right now she was wearing a black tank top over a red tank top, riding gloves, a black and red plaid skirt with black leather leggings, combat boots, and a choker with silver skulls on it. Her short brown hair spiked up naturally at the ends, so that it didn't quite touch her shoulders, yet another trait from her father's side of the family. However, she had her mother's delicate and lovely facial features. Even though she had led a hard life on the streets, it didn't show on her face.

Kanami slipped on the jacket and her Chaos Dueldisk, a dueldisk designed solely for the members of Kanami's organization, known as Paradius. Just before leaving, she flicked her hair behind her left ear and rubbed the earring she was wearing between her fingers. The soft-green gem shone even more brightly than usual in contrast to her black painted nails. This was her Orichalcos stone. As insignificant as it looked, this tiny little thing was the source of all her magical powers. Dartz had given it to her on the grounds that she would use those powers to serve him, and she wasn't going to let him down.

She headed outside just in time to see Raphael, Alister, and Valon getting in the plane that was their only way off the island where they lived.

"Guys! Guys wait up!" she shouted after them.

"What's the problem?" Raphael shouted back.

"I've got a job to do. Can you give me lift?"

"Where to?" said Valon.

"Wherever I can find lots of duelists," she replied.

"We're heading to Domino City." Alister chimed in.

"That'll do. Let's go."

The four wheeled their motorcycles onto the plane and after landing in Domino and a series of "good luck"s were exchanged, they rode off in opposite directions. Kanami couldn't help but feel a thrill when she got on her purple-maroon Suzuki motorcycle; it was her pride and joy. There were only two other things that she loved doing more than riding that bike, and that was dueling and sketching or painting. Kanami might have really enjoyed this ride through a new city, if she hadn't been so occupied with finding someone to duel with. Anyone with a dueldisk would do.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kanami saw the deck in her dueldisk begin to glow. Or rather, one particular card began to glow. Kanami no sooner saw it then the spirit of the monster inside the card appeared in a golden flash of light. It didn't have any wings, but it flew next to her as she was driving. Kanami knew which monster this was before she saw it.

"Hey Saggi." She remarked casually. Saggi the Dark Clown answered in his usual perky tone.

"Salutations Kanami! What are we doing today?"

Kanami told the duel monster about her problems, which was nothing new. She had been looking to him for help since she first discovered she could talk to monster spirits.

_Twelve Years Ago: _

The seven-year-old girl couldn't wait to open up the packet of duel monsters cards she had just gotten. Her father had picked it up when he heard how interested she had become in the game. Kanami pulled the end off the wrapper and held the nine cards that were included. There weren't any rare cards, but that didn't matter. These were her first cards.

"So then, you're my new master. Well, mistress anyway."

Kanami whipped her head around to see whom the voice belonged to. It belonged to a clown that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He was laying on his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows and smiling widely. She didn't know what to say. This clown wasn't human! Unless he was wearing a mask, but where did he come from anyway? Suddenly Kanami noticed something, he looked just like the monster on the card she was holding.

"Saggi the Dark Clown?" she asked. Saggi blinked a few times before he realized she was talking to him.

"Huh? You can see me?" He no sooner said it then jumped up and started cheering. "Oh this is too good to be true! Figure the odds that I would meet two kids with Shadow Sight! Oh sure they're five thousand years apart, but still!" Saggi looked down at the little girl and saw her terrified face. He dropped back onto the ground. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Wh…What are you?" Kanami squealed.

"You just said it yourself. My name is Saggi the Dark Clown, but you can call me Saggi."

"But, you're a duel monster," Kanami continued, looking back at the card, "You're not real."

"Oh but that's where you're wrong. Uh, look, let me start at the beginning. All duel monsters are real. We live in a place called the Shadow Realm; we always have. Maximillion Pegasus found out about us and decided to create the card game."

"This is too weird." added Kanami.

"It gets weirder," continued Saggi, " you have a rare gift, little one. You have what we monsters call Shadow Sight. Normally, monsters come to the human world, but we can only come as spirits, so most humans can't see or hear us. We're ghosts to them, but you are different." Kanami still looked scared.

"There's nothing to be afraid of… Uh, what's your name?"

"Kanami Mutou."

"Kanami, nice to meet you." said Saggi, who turned his attention to the other monster cards Kanami was holding. "Hey guys come say hello to Kanami."

Heeding the invitation, Sangan, Witch of the Black Forest, Phoenixian Seed, and Howling Insect appeared. Between the five of them, they certainly didn't seem friendly and Kanami was still overwhelmed by Saggi's story, but they seemed to sense this and continued to reassure her with kind words. The more she talked to them, the more she calmed down.

_Present Day:_

Since that time, Saggi had always been at Kanami's side, helping her to improve her dueling skills. She had even traded some of her cards on the basis of "I know that guy, let's have him in your deck."

Saggi was Kanami's best friend, and the feeling was mutual. There were only a few who really understood Saggi. On the one hand, he was very clever and a hard worker. On the other hand, there was a reason he was called a clown. Like all the Spellcaster type monsters of the shadow realm, Saggi could use magic with the best of them, but his true talent was in making illusions. He was really good at that, no doubt it came from years of constantly using those illusions to trick humans and monsters alike, all for the sake of silly pranks.

"Kanami wait!" the monster said suddenly. The wheels of Kanami's bike squealed unpleasantly as she stopped abruptly. She turned to see him hugging his sides, an unusually serious expression on his face. "I feel…funny."

He no sooner said it, then a woman nearby screamed. The two looked up towards the sky where she was looking and saw the problem. Duel monsters were everywhere. Kanami and Saggi could hear the same woman declare in a panicky voice that they weren't holograms.

"He did it," Kanami said in awe, "Master Dartz said he was finally ready to create the portals between the Shadow Realm and the Human World."

"That explains the dizziness, I'm not a spirit right now. I'm really in the Light Realm," responded Saggi, using the duel monster's name for the human world. He looked around at the humans who were running away screaming. "Well they're taking this better than I thought they would."

"Especially that guy," said Kanami, looking at the young man in front of them.

The person in question was simply staring at the monsters around him. He did seem genuinely surprised that they were there, but not afraid, in fact he seemed amused. He was wearing a short-sleeved hooded blue jacket, white shirt, jeans, and blue sneakers. Kanami figured he was about her age and he had long white hair.

"Hey it's Bakura," cried Saggi.

"You know that guy?"

"Remember when I told you about the seven Millennium Items? Well that's Bakura. He holds the Millennium Ring." Saggi replied and pointed at the unusual pendant Bakura was wearing. Saggi considered his words for a moment. "No, more than that, he lives in the Millennium Ring."

"He what now?"

"Bakura is the spirit of an Egyptian tomb robber. He's been trapped in that item for five thousand years." Saggi told her. Kanami stared at him for a moment and then smiled.

"I think I just found my next dueling opponent." She smirked.


	4. Chapter 4

Duels are really hard to write. o_0 But I finally posted Chapter 4. Two things worth noting here.

First of all, I edited my note at the begining of Chapter 3; it was supposed to say Yu-gi-oh Wikia. Sorry, my bad.

Also, right now, I have an avatar of an anime girl who I think looks like Kanami. The only difference is Kanami has brown hair instead of black and her hair spikes up at the ends, kind of like Irma Lair from W.I.T.C.H. Anyway, this is what I picture her looking like. The girl in the picture is even wearing a top that Kanami would wear.

**Chapter 4: Shadow Game**

"Whoa! Kanami are you sure?" squeaked Saggi, "This guy's got some soul-stealing magic of his own. To say nothing of the fact that he's a few trap cards short of a deck."

"Hey, you know how I love a challenge." was her only answer. Saggi gulped and in a beam of light, went back into his card. Kanami started up her motorcycle and pulled up a few feet in front of Bakura. He was still staring at the monsters in the sky.

"Hey Bakura!" she called. He looked at her with a confused expression that was rare for him.

"Who are you?"

"Your next dueling opponent," Kanami replied with an almost flirty tone of voice, "I've been told all about you, Spirit of the Millennium Ring. You must have quite a powerful soul. I think I'm going to take it away from you." That didn't answer Bakura's question, but he smiled.

"You obviously know deep and dark secrets. How amusing, it's so rare that I get a chance to duel a real opponent and not just some incompetent mortals, even if they are fun to terrorize. All right, I accept your challenge." He looked around at the screaming crowd and the monsters roaming the city.

"It seems we're going to have to find a more suitable place to duel though." he said casually, "This place isn't very quiet." The only quiet place they could find was the inside of the Domino Museum.

"Say goodbye to your soul pal!" Kanami said confidently. Bakura gave her his trademark smirk.

"You first." He replied. They activated their dueldisks and called out in unison, "Duel!"

_Kanami's LP: 4000 _

_Bakura's LP: 4000_

Kanami went first. "I summon Nimble Momonga in defense mode, your turn."

"Very well, I summon the Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams. Attack her creature now!" That was the end of Kanami's monster. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"When you destroy my Nimble Momonga," Kanami told him, "his special ability activates, giving me one thousand life points.

_Kanami's LP: 5000_

"Not too bad for a start, is it?" she said as she looked at the card she just drew. It was the Seal of Orichalcos. "Okay scratch that, this is a fabulous start. I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" As the Seal enveloped them, Kanami braced herself for what she knew was coming next. The Seal took its strength from the person who played it, so there was always this intense draining feeling that washed over Kanami when she activated it. When the feeling finally past, she shuddered slightly. She had the same green circle on her forehead, and her usually royal purple eyes were now glowing with a bright red that gave them a maroon tint. "Take a close look Bakura, this is what's going to destroy you. Whoever loses this duel, loses their soul." Bakura did take a close look.

"So you weren't bluffing," replied Bakura calmly, "I sense great power coming from this magic card."

"Worried?"

"You don't know the meaning of the word." Said Bakura, still smiling. "But here, allow me to show you a true Shadow Game." The Millennium Ring glowed brightly for a moment and then faded. "What?"

"The Orichalcos has been around for ten thousand years, Bakura, long before the Millennium Items were invented." Kanami added childishly, "My magic is stronger than yours."

Bakura's smile finally went away. Besides the complete surprise of having his Ring be overpowered, one of his strongest traits was his pride, so it didn't take much to offend him. "Just finish your turn!" he growled.

"Gladly, I summon Krebons and Shining Angel, both in attack mode." Kanami watched as the same Orichalcos mark appeared on her monsters. "The Seal of Orichalcos adds its power to my monsters, giving them 500 extra attack points."

_Krebons: 1700 (+500) Atk points_

_Shining Angel: 1900 (+500) Atk points_

"Before you attack, I'll activate this trap card." Bakura interrupted, "Fearful Earthbound! Now for every attack you declare, you will automatically lose five hundred of your lifepoints."

"Won't stop me though." Kanami pointed out, "Krebons, attack his ghost!" The clown-like monster threw the glowing green cubes he was juggling at the Ghost of Fled Dreams. The ghoul gave out an eerie scream and vanished. "Your turn, Shining Angel. Attack Bakura's lifepoints directly." A gold sword manifested in the angel's hand and he swung it at Bakura. Bakura staggered, but managed to stay up.

_Bakura's LP: 1700 _

"That should do it for now."

"Then it's my turn. My trap card activates, so you lose one thousand lifepoints. Then I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Gross Ghost, but it's going right back to the graveyard, because I sacrifice it to summon Earl of Demise! Now slay her angel, my Earl!" Kanami saw her Shining Angel be stabbed and then disappear. "I'll play this card face down and end my turn."

_Kanami's LP: 3900 _

"All right, my move." Kanami replied, "I activate my Shining Angel's special ability, allowing me to move a Light attribute monster with fifteen hundred attack points or less from my deck to the field, and I choose Dreamsprite in defense mode. Then I'll switch Krebons into defense mode. I end my turn." Bakura stared at her.

"_She didn't leave any trap cards to protect her monsters;"_ he thought, _"does she not have anything in her hand worth playing, or is it another ability of her Seal of Orichalcos?" _His smile returned,_ "Either way my trap card should protect me, but just in case."_

"I activate the magic card Malevolent Nuzzler to give my monster seven hundred attack points."

_Earl of Demise: 2700 Atk points _

"Attack her Dreamsprite now!"

"Waste of energy," Kanami told him, "My Dreamsprite's special ability lets me transfer your attack to any other monster on my side of the field. As for Krebons, all I have to do is pay eight hundred lifepoints and your attack is negated."

_Kanami's LP: 3100 _

Bakura shrugged. _"If she doesn't attack, my trap card won't activate."_ He reflected. "I end my turn."

"It only gets worse," Kanami said looking at the card she just drew, "I play Ring of Magnetism, and I'll equip it to Krebons. Then I summon Cure Mermaid in defense mode. Then I place two cards face down and end my turn."

_Cure Mermaid: 1500 Atk points (+500) _

Kanami could hear the voices of her monsters talking to each other, something that went completely unnoticed by Bakura, even though they were talking about him.

"Isn't that Bakura?" asked Cure Mermaid.

"Yeah, of all people." said Krebons, who turned his head to face Kanami, "Be careful Miss Kanami."

Kanami didn't answer. She just stared off into space and rolled her eyes. _"I wish everyone would stop talking about this like I've already lost."_ She thought.

"Pay attention girl. This ends now," Bakura said confidently, "If I can't defeat your magic with my Millennium Ring, I'll just have to find an alternative means. I play De-Spell!" The Seal of Orichalcos shimmered briefly, but then Bakura's De-Spell card magically evaporated into golden sparks. Now it was Kanami's turn to smirk. Bakura snarled under his breath and glared at her.

"You didn't really think that was going to work, did you?" she asked him, "The Seal is here to stay until the duel is over."

"So then I'll just have to finish this duel quickly, and what a pity. I wanted to prolong your misery."

"Misery, shmisery, Pal," Kanami said, this time more seriously, "Just don't forget that if you lose, I get your soul."

"I'm well aware of that, so if you'll excuse me, I'd like to finish my move. I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards."

"You activated my traps Appropriate and Solemn Wishes. First my Appropriate lets me draw two cards every time you draw extra cards, and when I draw any cards, my Solemn Wishes activates, giving me five hundred lifepoints."

_Kanami's LP: 3600_

"Neither of which means anything to me," Bakura told her, "now then, I play Exchange. So both of us will take a card from the other's hand."

Kanami and Bakura met in the center of the Seal and showed each other their cards. No wonder he had played Exchange when he did, Kanami said to herself. The magic cards he had only worked on Fiend type monsters, although there was one very useful card in Bakura's hand.

"I think I'll take your Dark Ruler Ha Des." Bakura ignored Kanami and chose her Dian Keto the Cure Master magic card.

"Dark Ruler is one of my more powerful monsters, but since Exchange allowed me to get a look at your hand, it's a price I'm willing to pay." He told her once they were back in their spots. "I'll finish my move by switching Earl of Demise into defense mode."

"Okay," Kanami tried, but failed to not sound confused. His monster was the strongest on the field. Why not attack? "Now here's where things get interesting." She went on, "First, since I drew a card at the beginning of my turn, Solemn Wishes gives me five hundred lifepoints. Next, the special ability of my Cure Mermaid activates, so I get eight hundred more lifepoints."

_Kanami's LP: 4900 _

"I'll wrap things up by summoning Dancing Fairy in defense mode."

_Dancing Fairy: 1700 (+500) Atk points_

Bakura stood completely still. The only movement was his eyes that darted back and forth between Kanami's monsters. All of a sudden he let out a laugh that made Kanami's skin crawl.

"It's the same monsters," he said, "it really is you. This day has just been filled with surprises. I never imagined I see you again. How fitting that it should happen here," he waved his arm at the museum exhibits that surrounded them, "amongst the ruins of ancient Egypt."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kanami, Bakura feigned a whine.

"Aw, don't you remember me? Now you've hurt my feelings." His smirk growing wider, Bakura added, "He didn't remember me either."

Kanami figured he was trying to throw her off and yelled at him "Just make your move already."

"As you wish" when he looked at the card he had drawn, his smile widened. "That was quick. I play Curse of Fiend! So all of our monsters switch from defense mode to attack mode and vice versa."

"_He was up to something," _Kanami thought,_ "I hate when I'm right."_

"Earl of Demise, attack her Dancing Fairy with Sword of Peril!"

"Wrong again. As long as Ring of Magnetism is in effect, Krebons is the only monster you can attack, and I'll just keep sacrificing eight hundred lifepoints to negate your attacks all together."

_Kanami's LP: 4100_

"In that case, I'll place this one monster face down on the field in defense mode and end my turn."

"My turn then, so Solemn Wishes and Cure Mermaid give me an extra thirteen hundred lifepoints. Next I'll switch all of my monsters back into defense mode. Now I summon Injection Fairy Lily!"

_Injection Fairy Lily: 400 (+500) Atk points _

"Thanks to her ability, I can give up two thousand lifepoints to increase her strength."

_Injection Fairy Lily: 3900 Atk points_

_Earl of Demise: 2700 Atk points_

"Lily, take down that eyesore of a monster!" Bakura, so accustomed to shadow games, didn't even flinch from the diminishing energy that came from having his creature destroyed. "For my last move, I play the magic card Monster Recovery. So now I'll put Injection Fairy Lily and every card in my hand back in my deck, reshuffle, and draw new cards, which also activates Solemn Wishes again. So much for your plan about knowing every card in my hand."

_Kanami's LP: 2900_

"That may be, but I still have your Dian Keto the Cure Master. So now I gain one thousand lifepoints."

_Bakura's LP: 1500 _

"As for knowing each other's cards, this should level the playing field. I play Card Destruction, so now we both discard our hands and draw five new cards."

"Which in turn, activates Appropriate and Solemn Wishes," Kanami added, "so thanks for the extra two cards and lifepoints."

"You'll need all the help you can get," Bakura went on, "I place two cards face down and end my turn. So did you draw anything useful?"

"First of all, I gain twenty-three hundred lifepoints thanks to my trap card and my monsters."

_Kanami's LP: 5700_

"Secondly, you tell me if I drew anything useful. I summon Fairy's Gift and Saggi the Dark Clown!"

"Aw, Kanami do I have to?" Saggi whined from inside his card, "You know how I hate that stupid Seal."

"Suck up and deal. I need you out here." Kanami scolded.

_Fairy's Gift: 1400 (+500)_

_Saggi the Dark Clown: 600 (+500)_

Saggi did appear, but absorbing the power of the Orichalcos was just as painful for him as it had been for Kanami. Kanami turned her attention towards Fairy's Gift.

"Fairy's Gift, attack his face down monster with your Enchanted Dust!" The fairy did, and the monster turned out to be Morphing Jar. "Oh, crap." Kanami moaned. Bakura snickered and told her what she already knew.

"We'll both have to send all the cards in our hands to the graveyard."

"It's still my turn. Now Saggi, attack his lifepoints directly! By the way," Kanami told Bakura, "since you were able to draw extra cards from Morphing Jar's ability, my Appropriate trap gives me two more cards, and Solemn Wishes give me five hundred more lifepoints."

_Kanami's LP: 6200_

Kanami pushed her Mirror Force trap card into one of the dueldisk slots. "Now I'll place this one card face down and end my turn."

_Bakura's LP: 400 _

"I take it this ability to have more than five monsters on the field is other one of the Seal's powers?" Bakura asked her.

"You're starting to catch on. As a matter of fact, I'm allowed to have up to ten monsters on my side of the field."

"Excellent, a perfect time to play this then." Kanami recognized the trap card he showed her instantly. She had the same card in her own deck. "Just Deserts!" Bakura watched in amusement as a ghost-like being started circling Kanami while she tried unsuccessfully to hide her pained expression. "This trap card removes five hundred of your lifepoints for each monster you have on the field, and as this is a shadow game, the lose of nearly half your lifepoints should be quite unpleasant."

_Kanami's LP: 3200 _

"Kanami are you all right?" Saggi yelled; the other monsters were looking equally concerned.

"I'm fine," she replied, though she was shaking slightly, "I still have way more lifepoints than you Bakura!"

"Don't count on it, I've only just begun. First I'll activate my other face down card, Nightmare Binding! This will take eight hundred attack points from Saggi the Dark Clown and add them to my lifepoints."

_Bakura's LP: 1200_

_Saggi the Dark Clown: 300 Atk points_

"Now then, I think I've sent enough monster cards to the graveyard by now, so I'll remove three of them from the game to summon my Dark Necrofear! Next I'll play the magic card Dark Designator! If I can guess the name of a monster in your deck, I can summon to the field, and thanks to Exchange and Monster Recovery, I know you have Dark Ruler Ha Des in your deck. Now it's mine again. I have one more card to play, Heavy Storm!"

Kanami felt as though her heart had done a cartwheel. "That destroys all my magic and trap cards."

"Right, it won't destroy the Seal of Orichalcos, but since it will leave you defenseless, I'll settle for all your other cards. Ring of Magnetism, Solemn Wishes, Appropriate, and your face down card are all gone. Now then, Dark Ruler, destroy her Fairy's Gift!"

Kanami clapped her hands to her mouth knowing that Saggi was next. This was the first time she ever had to watch childhood friend go to the graveyard. As if he guessed what she was thinking, Saggi looked back at her and winked.

"This isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to me." He told her. Kanami then heard Bakura's order to Dark Necrofear and a burst of black energy hit Saggi. With a pained expression, he vanished.

"NO! You'll pay for that Bakura!" Kanami screamed, as she did, the seal on her forehead glowed a little brighter for a moment. Bakura either didn't notice or didn't care. He ended his turn at that.

_Kanami's LP: 750_

"I still have Dancing Fairy and Cure Mermaid, so I gain eighteen hundred lifepoints.

_Kanami's LP: 2550_

Kanami looked at the cards in her hand, Imperial Order, Seven Tools of the Bandit, Happy Lover, Foolish Burial, Dancing Elf, and Double Spell. "What am I going to do?" she thought, "None of these cards can beat either of his monsters." She didn't want to look up right now; she could feel Bakura glaring at her in satisfaction. He had her in a corner and he knew it.

"I play Foolish Burial! This magic card lets me take a monster from my deck and place it in the graveyard, and I choose my Marie the Fallen One."

"Bakura will probably destroy Dancing Fairy and Cure Mermaid next turn. At least this way, I can still keep replenishing my lifepoints."

"I end my turn."

"There's nothing else you can do, is there?" Bakura sneered. Of course, there wasn't mush he could do either. All he had in his hand was Spirit Message "N." As long as Kanami's monsters remained in defense mode, he couldn't get at her lifepoints. It would take three turns before he could have all of her monsters off the field and attack her directly and that might be too late. It was a race to see who would draw something that could win the duel. He drew Riryoku. That would help.

"I play Riryoku! This magic card cuts your lifepoints in half and adds them to the attack points of one of my monsters, and I choose Dark Ruler Ha Des. I should thank you for building your lifepoints up so high."

_Kanami's LP: 1275_

_Dark Ruler Ha Des: 3725 Atk points_

"Dark Ruler, attack her Dancing Fairy! Your turn Dark Necrofear, destroy her Cure Mermaid!"

Kanami managed to catch the eyes of her monsters just before they vanished, "I'm sorry." She told them. Bakura ended his turn and she drew a card. Messenger of Peace, now this might do the trick.

"I activate the special ability of Marie the Fallen One! For every turn that she stays in the graveyard, I gain two hundred lifepoints. Then I'll play Messenger of Peace! This magic card prevents us both from attacking with any monster with fifteen hundred attack points or more, but I have to give up one hundred lifepoints every turn to keep this card in play. That will end my turn."

"Now you're just stalling." Said Bakura, "I've drawn Black Pendant, and I'll add to my Dark Necrofear giving her five hundred extra attack points."

_Dark Necrofear: 2700 Atk points_

"I may not be able to attack with either of my monsters thanks to your magic card, but if I can keep their power well over fifteen hundred, you won't be able to destroy them anyway. So make your move."

Kanami drew Silver Bow and Arrow; still no card that could help her.

"I gain two hundred lifepoints from Marie the Fallen One and then I'll sacrifice one hundred to keep Messenger of Peace on the field. That will do for now."

_Kanami's LP: 1475 _

Bakura drew a card and, to Kanami's alarm, the instant he saw it he laughed. "It's over for you! I play Ectoplasmer! Now when I sacrifice my monsters, half of their original attack points come out of your lifepoints. I'll start with Dark Ruler Ha Des!" Kanami braced herself when she saw the ghost of Dark Ruler appear and shoot through her.

_Kanami's LP: 250_

"I have to end my turn now, but next turn, I'll sacrifice Dark Necrofear, you'll lose eleven hundred lifepoints, and then you will have to give up your soul to your own magic."

Bakura paused, waiting for a specific reaction, but it never came. Kanami just stared at him with a completely emotionless expression.

"Well?" he said to her, "Aren't you afraid? You're only one attack away from being consumed by darkness."

Kanami smirked and answered confidently, "Oh, you're a little late for that." Bakura stared at Kanami even longer this time, and then laughed.

"I admire you," he said, "I rarely come across an opponent with a fighting spirit such as yours, and believe me when I say; I've had many opponents. I've quite enjoyed this duel." Kanami was taken aback. Did he honestly not understand that his soul was at stake, or did he just not care?

"It's been a long time since I dueled for the fun of it." She said simply. "Now let's see which of us is the stronger fighter. My move!"

"I didn't come this far to be beaten down by a freak show!" She told herself, "Just watch me Bakura; I'll show you fighting spirit." Kanami turned her eyes to the card she drew. "YES!"

"I gain two hundred lifepoints form Marie, but I'm getting rid of my Messenger of Peace."

"Might as well," answered Bakura, "it didn't protect you."

"I'm just getting started. Now I sacrifice Krebons and Dreamsprite to summon Splendid Venus!"

_Splendid Venus: 2800 (+500)_

"And not only is she already stronger than your Necrofear, but her special ability removes five hundred attack points from all non-fairy type monsters on the field.

_Dark Necrofear: 2200 Atk points _

"Splendid Venus, attack Dark Necrofear!" Bakura just seemed annoyed.

"I still have one hundred lifepoints! This duel is not over!" he said as he was about to draw a card, but Kanami stopped him.

"Oh yes it is. Next I play the magic card Double Spell! Now if I send one of my magic cards to the graveyard, I can activate a magic card from your graveyard. So I'll get rid of my Silver Bow and Arrow to use your Monster Reborn card and bring back Saggi the Dark Clown."

Saggi reappeared in a shower of lights. "It's pay back time!" he shouted.

"Saggi, attack Bakura's lifepoints directly with Dark Light!" Again Bakura was hardly effected by the attack, but his lifepoints hit zero all the same.

Even now, while the Seal shrank to close in on Bakura, he was still smirking. Kanami wondered how he would have responded if he had won. Through the vibrant green glow, he looked up at her.

"Cunning woman, you haven't changed." Again, he was acting like he knew Kanami, but she had never seen him before, had she? "You haven't seen the last of me." His laughter echoed as the Seal ebbed away.

Bakura fell face first to the ground. Kanami approached him and rolled him over onto his back. Lying there, underneath his chest, was what members of the Paradius organization termed a Soul Card. It looked like any other Seal of Orichalcos magic card, but behind the seal was the face of whoever had just lost their soul. Kanami shuddered when she noticed that Bakura was smiling from behind the Seal.

Suddenly, his body moved. Kanami screamed in horror. Had the tomb robber actually managed to keep his soul intact? When Bakura was finally able to lift his head up and look Kanami in the eyes, she relaxed, but only because she was confused. Something was different now. Bakura didn't seem nearly as threatening as he was five minutes ago. His eyes were gentler somehow.

"Thank you," he said meekly, "He's gone. I… I can't sense him at all."

"Huh?" was Kanami's only answer. What was going on? How did he escape the Orichalcos and why had he suddenly acquired a British accent?

"My name is Bakura… I mean I'm the real Bakura." He explained, "The evil spirit of my Millennium Ring was controlling me, but now he's… gone. I can just tell." He shakily took the Ring off his neck, staring at it as if it might bite him if he wasn't careful. "Whoever you are," he continued, "thank you."

"Well, okay, I guess we both win." Kanami left it at that and walked off. What else could she say? It was bizarre for her to praised like this and it wasn't like she dueled the spirit for Bakura's sake. She jumped on her bike and took off as fast as she could go. Kanami felt stupid. She was still shaken up by the shock and confused by what Bakura had told her, but why? At this point, nothing should surprise her. Maybe it had to do with the odd feelings she got from being near the spirit. This was the first time in years anyone had scared her. Maybe she did know him?


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry about the delay. I had the dreaded Writer's Block (shudder).

**Chapter 5: Fighting On Opposite Sides**

Bakura didn't matter right now, Kanami had too much to focus on to be thinking about him. She still had to duel at least three more people that day. But there was a problem. With duel monsters still roaming the streets, no one was in any mood to duel. Kanami grudgingly headed back to the plane that night and waited for the boys to get back. She had waited almost an hour before they finally showed.

"Guys, I need a serious pick-me-up. Tell me good news."

Valon responded, walking up to Kanami rather smugly. "Had do three Egyptian God Cards grab you?" Kanami cheered and wrapped her arms around Valon. She felt him pick her up and swing her around. When they let go, Alister and Kanami high-fived. Once again, Raphael cut their fun short.

"When you three are done playing Ring Around the Rosie, I'd like to go home now." The three followed Raphael into the plane, making faces and crude gestures at him along the way. During the trip home, Valon and Alister told Kanami what happened.

"We lost Grerimo. The Pharaoh defeated him in a duel." Valon said.

"Boo-freakin-hoo." Kanami scoffed, "I never liked that guy."

"Yeah, he was pretty obnoxious," added Alister, "and he had Obelisk the Tormentor in his deck; he still lost."

"Um, guys," Kanami said quietly, looking over at the cockpit to make sure Raphael couldn't hear, "You stole the God Cards. Well, was… uh."

"Your brother's fine, Nami." said Alister, guessing what she was thinking, "You know we wouldn't hurt him."

"Thanks guys." Her relief was short-lived, because of what she saw out of the corner of her eye. Valon and Alister exchanged an uneasy and deadly serious look briefly when they thought she wasn't looking. She was about to question them further when Raphael walked up to them.

"I've activated the auto pilot, so let's do this." He told them as he slipped on his helmet and got on his motorcycle. The others followed suit. Raphael pushed a button and the back of the plane lowered down to a ramp.

"I love this part of the job!" Valon chimed in, loudly considering they had microphones and receivers built into the helmets.

They pulled their bikes back and let gravity do the rest. Kanami felt an instant adrenaline rush from the drop, along with the powerful wind that swirled around her. This was why she loved roller coasters.

"WOO-HOO!" she heard Valon yell, "Last one there's got to polish me boots." He laughed.

Kanami gripped tightly on the handlebars and leaned back carefully, knowing that the only way to avoid a crash to the ground was to land on the back tire. It worked. She saw Valon speed ahead of all of them, laughing as he did.

"Give it a rest Valon." Alister said in disgust.

"Oh, come on Alister." Kanami retorted, "You got to admit; that was fun." After leaving their bikes safely inside, they arrived in the main room of the castle and reported what they knew to Dartz.

"We located the Pharaoh, Master." Raphael told him, "Unfortunately, we weren't able to capture his soul."

"I didn't expect you to this soon." Dartz replied, "We've only just begun."

"But you know me Master, I never come back empty-handed." Raphael stepped up to hand Dartz the three Egyptian God cards and while they weren't paying attention, Valon whispered in Kanami's ear.

"Oh sure, now that he's got good news it's I instead of we." Kanami stifled a laugh. No one seemed to notice.

Dartz turned around and placed each of the cards inside the mouth of the three giant serpent statues and then chanted a spell. "Serpents of the Orichalcos, please hear my call. I offer thee the gods of Egypt. Use their divine might to unlock the sacred chamber of the Great Beast. Awaken him from his ancient slumber by accepting my offering."

The god cards slowly began to glow, until the light burst into a stream of lighting that shot up into the sky. Kanami squinted while the energy radiated the room. When her eyes adjusted, the sky was shining with various colors.

"The time has arrived, my friends." Dartz continued, "Finally, after ten-thousand years, the Great Leviathan shall rise again." Dartz soon dismissed them. He needed to be alone to concentrate on his spell.

Kanami decided to go back to her room. Before she did however, she took out Bakura's soul card. The walls of the room were covered with thousands of little rectangular stones and carved inside each one was the image of a person. These were the people whose souls were captured and would soon be sacrificed. Kanami pressed the card up against the wall. She focused her mind and said the necessary spell, just as Dartz had taught her.

"Great Leviathan, Beast of the Orichalcos, please hear my call and accept my offering."

While Bakura's soul was powerful, he certainly didn't count for twelve souls. Yet what could she do? Everyone outside of these walls had had enough monsters for one day. She couldn't force them to duel.

When she reached her room, Kanami pulled out her sketchbook. Art was her anti-depressant. Before her parents died, drawing pictures was one of her favorite activities. Even after she had run away from the orphanage and was living on the streets, she found time to draw. Granted, it was graffiti, but she didn't care.

She flipped through the book. In were sketches of duel monsters, most of them hers. There was a drawing each of Yugi, Dartz, Raphael, Alister, and Valon. She had made two drawings of the outside of the castle, and three of the inside. There was another of Raphael, this one with his Guardian Eatos behind him, the tips of her wings wrapped around him affectionately. Kanami had often seen the monster spirit following him everywhere he went. The last one was of the Leviathan. She had never actually seen it, but Dartz had shown her many images, so she had a fairly accurate idea.

It wasn't proving to be much of a distraction from her problem today. She just wasn't feeling very inspired. She was halfway done with a simple sketch of the Seal when she heard her name being called. She poked her head out and locked eyes with Alister and Valon.

"Can we talk to you?" the Australian teen asked.

"Sure." Kanami replied, noting his sad tone of voice.

"Uh, listen Kanami, about your brother Yugi…" Alister started. Kanami interrupted him.

"Look guys, you don't have to worry. I'm not going to let this distract me. It's still the same Kanami here."

"That's not it." Alister continued, "You see, before we left, Dartz told us how the Pharaoh had managed to come back, to the modern world I mean. We didn't want to say anything until we saw it with our own eyes, but now… you should know…" Alister looked down at the floor. Valon could tell he wasn't going to be able to say it, so he spoke up.

"Your brother's possessed by the ghost of the Pharaoh."

Kanami stared at them, thinking she must have misheard because none of that made sense. Valon went on.

"Dartz said that when the Pharaoh lost his memories, his spirit was locked up in one of those Millennium Items, uh, the Millennium Puzzle. Apparently, your Yugi got hold of that puzzle and now the Pharaoh is…"

"No." Kanami said suddenly, "No, Yugi would never have anything to do with that…" She stopped when a memory past through her mind. Didn't the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring possess Bakura? Such a thing was possible, but Kanami still denied it. "No, that can't be right."

"Kanami, we're sorry." Alister finally said, but Kanami didn't hear him. She raced back into the main room and straight to Dartz. He was facing the end of the room where he had just placed the God cards. He didn't seem to hear Kanami approach.

"Dartz!" she called out. He turned to see her now livid face. "Why didn't you tell me about Yugi?!"

"Yugi?" Dartz said sounding bored.

"Don't kid me! How long did you know that the Pharaoh and my brother were connected?!" Dartz still seemed un-interested.

"Four years." Kanami froze. "Your younger brother came into possession of the Millennium Puzzle a short while after you joined us."

"And you said nothing?! How could you?! WHY?"

"Because you're not supposed to care." Again, Kanami froze at Dartz's words. "I told you to leave your past and your previous family behind, and now you know why. What has this knowledge given you? The same pain and sorrow you felt when your parents died."

Kanami looked down at the floor, but Dartz walked up to her and lifted her chin to meet his eyes. "I accepted you into my organization because I could see that you belonged here." He told her. Dartz moved his hand to her shoulder and slowly, but forcefully turned her around, so that she saw Alister and Valon waiting behind one of the giant snake adorned pillars.

The two looked like they wanted to jump in and defend Kanami, but they figured it would only make things worse. "We are your only family Kanami." Dartz said, his voice barely above a whisper, "You're home, my child."

Kanami stayed silent. Dartz didn't expect an answer; he read everything he needed to know in Kanami's expression. Satisfied that he had taken control again, he dismissed her; Kanami headed straight for her room. She passed by Valon and Alister like a ghost, completely ignoring them. Not that they had anything they could say to her at the time. She stayed silent for the next few hours in her room. The one who finally broke the silence was Saggi, who guessed that now might be a good time to try and talk to her. He surfaced to find her lying on her stomach on the bed, her arms folded and her head tilted to one side.

"Hey," he said quietly, "How are you feeling?"

"The Pharaoh is controlling him, Saggi. Yugi would never have anything to do with an evil spirit. I'm sure of that!"

"You know," Saggi chose his words carefully, "this is all based on what Dartz said…" Kanami jerked up onto her knees.

"Stop right there, Dark Clown! I don't want to hear it, especially not now!" she glared at him briefly, but his put down face soon calmed her. "I'm sorry. It's just; this is the first time in nine years that I've felt like I belonged somewhere. I know exactly what I'm doing; I'm stealing the souls right out of people's bodies, so is Dartz, and so are the guys. I'm not saying it's right, but Saggi, I've seen their good sides. They're alone and cast out, like I am. We're trying to make this a world where no one has to feel that way." She lay back down. "I know you think it's cruel, but…" then she paused before rolling over and propping herself up on her elbow. She stared at the duel monster questioningly.

"Why do you even bother?" she asked him, "If you hate this so much, then why don't you leave?" Saggi gave her his trademark grin.

"Cause you're still here silly!" He rested his chin and hands on the edge of the bed. "We're friends you and me. I'll stick around as long as you need me." Kanami picked his hat up and placed an innocent kiss on his head. Saggi jumped to his feet. "OOH! Now that's what I call gratitude!"

Kanami rolled her eyes and laid back on her stomach, putting Saggi's hat on her own head as she went. "Should have seen that coming."

"I must defend my lady's honor! TO THE DEATH, or at least until I cry uncle! Pharaoh, shmaraoh! Bring it on! Bring… it… on!"

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It was Valon and Alister. Valon pulled up a chair to Kanami's bed and Alister leaned against the adjacent wall.

"You've been crying." Said Alister. It was true, and Kanami's eyes were still red enough to prove it.

"Love, you can't keep moping like this." Valon told her, "You're strong."

"Valon, he's my brother. I can't forget that, not even for Dartz."

"Who said anything about forgetting him." Alister added, "remember him when you're dueling the Pharaoh. That anger will only make you stronger." He paused briefly and looked into Kanami's eyes. "We are the duelists of the Orichalcos. We don't fall to pieces when tragedy strikes; we fight back."

Kanami sat up. She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Raphael walking in.

"God Raph! Don't you know how to knock? Maybe I wasn't decent."

"Say, that's a good point. Alister, what were we thinking? We missed an opportunity by knocking." Valon said, a mischievous smirk on his face. Kanami hit him with her pillow.

"Shut up Valon."

"What? It's a compliment. I'm saying you're hot."

"How about you both shut up." Raphael reproached, obviously in a worse mood then normal. "I hear you went off on Master Dartz."

Kanami just looked confused. "Who told you?"

"He probably sensed it." Said Alister, "Nothing gets past Master's bodyguard."

"Actually, I told him," Valon mentioned, "What's your problem, Mate? I told you about the whole thing with Yugi. If you listened once in a while, you'd have know about it already."

"I don't care who he is, you can't just tell Dartz what to do. He doesn't exactly take that kind of attitude well."

"He said I shouldn't care about Yugi."

"Good idea. Yugi's a part of your past." Raphael told her, "If you focus on anyone other than yourself, you'll screw up and that will cost you your soul. So get a grip." Valon chimed in.

"This is Raphael's way of saying, chin up Kanami."

Suddenly, a nearby female voice spoke. "Actually, Valon's right."

Kanami jumped at the sound and, forgetting that the guys were still in the room, starting looking around for the source. She found it quickly, behind her sitting on the bed. It was a beautiful woman in Native American dress. She seemed human at first glance, but the white angel wings told otherwise.

"Raphael cares more than he's willing to tell you." The duel monster spirit said. Kanami relaxed. She recognized Raphael's Guardian Eatos and scoffed at her.

"I'm overwhelmed with all this sympathy." She said in her best sarcasm. It was only when Alister said, "You're what now?" that Kanami jerked back to reality and added nervously, "Oh I'm just thinking out loud."

Guardian Eatos continued, "Trust me; I know his true nature. Once you get to know him…"

"I've known him for four years, Eatos." Kanami snarled under her breath. Again she forgot about the men who knew nothing about her power. She had been doing this for so long, that to her it was as common as breathing.

"Eatos?" Raphael stared at Kanami suspiciously. Kanami just laughed, more nervously now. She didn't know what else to do. Valon and Alister put in their own questions, but Kanami couldn't hear them properly because behind her, Eatos started talking to Saggi.

"What is with her?" she asked.

"Oh, Kanami's fine. She just hasn't told any of them about her power." Saggi tilted his head, "Come to think of it, the only human she's ever told is…"

"Kanami!" Valon had to shout to make himself heard. By now, all three men were staring at her.

"Why don't you tell them Kanami?" Saggi interrupted, "they know all about magic and real monsters. It's not like this will be big news."

Kanami glared at the two over her shoulder. "Could you keep it down?" she whispered.

"What is going on?" Raphael yelled. His Guardian Eatos said pleasantly, "You won't know until you try. Just tell them." Kanami clenched her eyes shut, as if that would make everyone be silent.

"All right already!" she shouted, throwing her arms above her head. "I can talk to monsters!"

Now everyone was silent. Alister finally said, "Huh?" Kanami opened her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Let me try that again." She said, "You remember a while back, Master Dartz told us about the Shadow Realm and how its inhabitants can come to our world? Well, I have a… a um… gift." She shut her eyes again. "I can hear and see real duel monsters. These spirits come from the Shadow Realm and I have this thing called Shadow Sight. I just talk to them like I do anybody else."

She paused when she heard Eatos again. "Kanami, open your eyes."

Kanami did and found the three men in front of her looking a little relieved, as if to say "Is that all?"

"Sweet," was Valon's reaction, "You should tell Dartz. A power like that, I'll bet you could really get on his good side."

Kanami blinked. "You don't think it's weird?"

"We sacrifice people's souls to a giant mythical snake for a living and you're afraid we're going to call you crazy?" said Alister.

"I told you." Saggi added cheerfully.

"I've never told anyone." Kanami said quietly, "I mean I'm basically talking to people only I can see. I did tell Yugi. He believed me, but he was like five at the time."

"Kanami Mutou is shy. Didn't think I'd ever get a chance to say that." Said Valon. "Relax Love, we won't be sending you to the funny farm."

"Isn't that what Master Dartz was saying?" Alister mentioned. He sat down on the bed so that he was eye level with Kanami. "We're family." He looked at Valon. "We even have that one annoying guy that we only put up with because he's family."

Valon jumped Alister. "You want some of this Mate?" Kanami and Raphael made no attempt to stop them. Their fights were common and neither of the two was really serious about killing one another. Finally Raphael pried them apart.

"Break it up! We've got real opponents to beat!" Alister and Valon grudgingly left the room, still glaring at each other. When they were gone, Raphael turned to Kanami. "You mentioned Eatos."

"Yes, I did."

"My Guardian Eatos?"

"Yup."

"And she's here now?"

"She says you're not really an asshole. You just act like one."

Raphael had no chance to finish the conversation, because at that moment, Dartz summoned them. It seemed urgent.

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"She says you're not really an asshole. You just act like one." (You can just picture Guardian Eatos anime falling and getting one of those giant sweat drops can't you? :P)


	6. Chapter 6

In an effort to keep the Yu-gi-oh characters true to their original selves, I re watched some of the episodes from the Orichalcos saga, aka season four. Unfortunately, it's just now occurring to me that some readers are either accustomed to the manga, which doesn't include the Orichalcos saga, or they haven't seen the entire series. So before I give away any more spoilers, I'm going to tell you that this story falls between episodes 145 and 184. :)

**Chapter 6: Valon's Girlfriend**

Alister, Valon, Raphael, and Kanami reached the main room at the same time to see Dartz staring at the god cards. He seemed enraged. Kanami shuddered. _"Here's hoping he's forgotten about my little outburst."_ She prayed silently.

"Listen well, all of you." he addressed them without turning around, "Apparently Fate is not on our side. Timaeus has been reborn.

"One of the legendary dragons?!" said Kanami.

"You gotta be kidding me." Alister moaned under his breath.

"Just as we are able to unleash the power of the sacred Seal through a magic card," Dartz went on, "Timaeus has taken the form of a duel monsters card, and now, the Pharaoh wields the dragon's strength."

Raphael, Alister, and Valon automatically shifted their eyes to Kanami, who was frozen rigid to the spot. Dartz didn't notice and probably didn't care. He called out Raphael's name.

"Yes Master Dartz," Raphael responded, bending down on one knee. "I know what to do. I'll find the Pharaoh, and this time, I'll make sure we drain his power to feed the Great Beast, Sir."

"Why don't you try listening?" Dartz scolded, "It's really a wonderful skill, and when you master it, you'll realize that we need more than just the Pharaoh's soul!"

"Then we'll deal with the others too." Alister chimed in, "I'll take Kaiba."

"I've got me eye on someone too." Valon added, "That feisty little bloke Joey Wheeler. Heh, he should be fun to take apart." Alister frowned.

"I know why you're after Wheeler."

"Mind your own business Alister! What about you? Why the sudden interest in Kaiba?"

"Look, I have my reasons Valon."

"Really?" Kanami stared at Alister. She knew what his reasons were, and she wondered if Alister was bold enough to really go off on Valon in front of Master Dartz. Raphael didn't take that chance.

"Knock it off! We're in the presence of Master Dartz!"

"The Pharaoh and his friends are on their way to see the one we've been watching." said Dartz, "Just make certain that you reach him before they do."

The one they had been watching was Pegasus, the creator of the Duel Monsters game. It had been a while now since he had lost his Millennium Eye and the powers it gave him, but Dartz still saw him as a threat, and he was right to do so.

In Pegasus's travels and studies of the Shadow Realm, he had learned about the Orichalcos. He knew about the lost city of Atlantis, and how it had sunk to the bottom of the sea due to a terrible war between the three Legendary Dragons and the Leviathan. He also knew that the Leviathan was currently locked away deep in the Shadow Realm, where no monster or human could unleash it.

The dragons had been imprisoned as well, but there was a legend that three "warriors" would come to free them. Now it seemed that one of those warriors was the Pharaoh, and Pegasus planned to tell him everything he could about the Leviathan and it's history.

Just as Kanami and the others were leaving, Valon whipped around and went back to Dartz, a look a realization on his face.

"Um, Master Dartz, wouldn't this be a good chance for Mai Valentine to… show off her dueling skills? Someone's going to have to capture Pegasus's soul, and she does have to start somewhere."

Dartz considered Valon's words for only a few seconds, but to Valon it felt like years. "Very well, take Miss Valentine with you and proceed as planned. If she fails this test, then I'll expect you to pick up the pieces Valon."

"She won't fail Sir; I promise you." Valon replied, barely hiding his joy. He literally ran past the others, including Kanami whose mouth was hanging open in shock of his behavior. This giddy schoolboy attitude was so unlike the hard-hitting biker.

"What was THAT?" she asked, watching him go.

Alister rolled his eyes in disgust at Valon. "You mean you haven't met the Harpie Queen yet?"

"Huh?" she turned to Alister.

"New girl," Raphael told her, "She joined a few days ago. She keeps to herself so you've pretty much missed each other."

"Lucky you." Alister added.

"So…" Kanami started, wondering if they were talking about a person or a time bomb. "This Mai Valentine, I've heard that name before."

"That's because she's a famous duelist. She can actually play the game all right; the problem is she's a cow." Said Alister.

"Don't insult cows." Raphael sneered, "Now let's go."

They caught up with Valon to find him talking with the blond woman who must have been Mai. Kanami decided to judge this woman's attitude for herself and walked up to her.

"Hey, you must be Mai." The blond woman turned and glanced at Kanami with a bored expression.

"That's right, and you are?"

"Name's Kanami. Did Valon tell you about Pegasus already?" Seeing Valon nod, Kanami continued. "I hear this is going to be your first duel."

Mai blinked and then glared at her. "Do I look like an amateur to you?"

"Bad choice of words," Kanami replied calmly, "I mean it's your first time dueling with the Seal of Orichalcos, right?" The five duelists started to leave as Mai answered gleefully.

"That's right and I intend to start things off with a bang."

Raphael reprimanded Mai, "Let's get one thing straight. This is no longer a game for you. Don't have fun dueling Pegasus, just win."

"Whatever Loser. Pegasus is nothing to me. There's only one person I need to take apart and I'm not about to lose my soul before I even see him." This interested Kanami.

"Old boyfriend?" she asked Mai. Mai spun around and looked like she was about to jump Kanami before Alister answered the question himself.

"That's pretty much it." Now Mai turned her attention to Alister.

"Listen punk, those geeks held me back from being a winner and I'm going to make them pay, and Wheeler's going to be the first to go."

"Joey Wheeler?" Kanami glanced at Valon and suddenly Alister's words made sense. _"I know why you're after Wheeler."_

"Wheeler and Yugi Mutou, I've been playing the second-rate duelist for too long." Mai was just getting on the plane when Kanami stepped in front of her, blocking her way so that Mai was forced to look at Kanami dead on.

"Mai, stick to Wheeler. If anybody's going to challenge the Pharaoh, it'll be me." Kanami was so focused on Mai's reaction, that she failed to notice the other three concerned reactions that came from hearing her sudden determination to take away the Pharaoh's soul.

"Who the hell are you to order me?" Mai snapped, shoving Kanami out of the way. "I don't take demands from anyone, unlike you who can't turn around unless your master commands you to."

"WHAT? And what do you call what you're doing right now?" Kanami lashed back.

"Listen Hon," was Mai's smug reply, "I'll duel Pegasus, so I can see the power of the Seal of Orichalcos for myself, but I'm not interested in your take-over-the-world routine. I do things for myself." Kanami was about to respond when Mai continued. "As for this Pharaoh, I don't even know what you're talking about."

Alister purposefully jammed his elbow into Valon's arm. "You didn't tell her?" By now, they had all gotten onto the plane. Raphael casually took the pilot's seat.

"Don't think she'll care one way or the other, but okay." Valon answered, "Mai, your former friend Yugi is possessed by the spirit of a five-thousand year-old Pharaoh." He shrugged, "Not much else to say really." Kanami looked at him, noting the fact that he didn't tell Mai that Yugi was her brother.

"Well, that certainly explains the Battle City finals." Mai finally said, "But you're right Valon, I don't care. If this card is really as powerful as you say it is, then I'll crush that little wimp even if he is taking backseat dueling advice from a ghost."

"I told you, back off! The Pharaoh's mine!" Kanami hissed.

"Go find your own opponent! Preferably someone in your league, like a dueling dog."

Kanami answered in mock sweetness. "Okay Mai, draw your cards." Mai sneered at the insult.

"Cute Honey, how about I take you up on that offer? How would you like to lose your soul to the Orichalcos?"

"I've got a better idea." Kanami said, "How about you kiss my…"

"RAPH! ARE WE THERE YET?!" Alister purposely interrupted.

"We only just left. What do you think, stupid? Keep your dueldisk on!" Raphael shouted back. Clearly, he was not hearing the uncomfortable conversation behind him. Kanami didn't finish her sentence, but the message got through.

"What did you say?" The glare in Mai's eyes dared Kanami to answer. Kanami smirked at the effect her comment was having.

"I'm sorry Mai, let me translate that. Woof, woof!"

This was the premise of the entire trip to Industrial Illusion headquarters. Mai and Kanami did everything but physically beat each other up, although Kanami was tempted to punch Mai at one point. Valon and Alister sat between the two girls, both wishing that they weren't sitting between them, and Raphael was completely oblivious to all of it.

It was getting dark by the time they arrived. Raphael was the first to get off the plane. He turned to the others behind him.

"All right Mai, Pegasus is all yours." He said, "The rest of us are going to make sure that your duel isn't interrupted." Everyone nodded. They went to the side of the building and found a back door with a lock that required a number password to get in. "Alister, can you crack this?" Raphael asked.

Alister looked at him as if it were a trick question. "Is Slifer the Sky Dragon a high level monster?" He immediately set to work. He took a gray and black laptop out of the backpack he was carrying and plugged in a wire from the computer to the lock. For only a minute, there was no sound except for the fast typing of Alister's keyboard, and then the door clicked. Alister smiled widely and opened the door with ease.

Technology and computers were to Alister what drawing was to Kanami. As soon as they were inside, he repeated the same act on yet another security system. The others looked around. They were in an unlit hallway.

"Alister," said Raphael, pausing until Alister looked up from his computer, "When you're done disabling the security, hack into the files of this place. Dig up anything you can about Atlantis. Valon, you and Mai go find Pegasus." Lastly, he turned to Kanami "Half-pint, you're with me."

Half-pint. That name started out as a joke, but now Raphael used it out of habit. Thinking about it got Kanami wondering if she and Mai could actually get along with time, like she had with the others.

_Four Years Ago:_

Kanami Mutou had now been living on the streets for five years, if it could be called living. The only friend she had was Saggi. Her deck was left behind with the house when she left for the orphanage, but she had managed to hold onto his card. Other than him, she trusted no one. Why should she when no one trusted her?

One day, she was taking shelter in an abandoned factory when she heard motorcycles approaching. Knowingly, she hid herself behind some wooden crates before anyone could see her. Whoever this was couldn't have been too friendly.

A biker gang composed of seven men stopped their bikes on one side of building's interior and two other bikers stopped on the opposite side. One was skinny and had red hair. The second was slightly shorter and had spiky brown hair. They both looked to be about Kanami's age.

"Ready to dance, boys?" shouted one of the seven bikers to the two across the room.

"Yeah Rick, show 'em whose boss!" shouted another.

The only response from the two was a unified and confident smirk. Kanami stared at them wide-eyed. Were they insane? The man named Rick looked as though he could have slaughtered the two without any help from the other six hostile bikers. She had been in enough street fights to know that the odds were absolutely not in their favor.

But to Kanami's surprise, Rick and the red-haired boy didn't fight; they dueled. She enjoyed watching them from her hiding spot. She really missed dueling. It amazed her that she could still remember all the rules and even recognized most of the cards played, except for one. The redhead played something called the Seal of Orichalcos. It must have been rare; it certainly was powerful.

Eventually, he defeated Rick, and that's when things got weird. The Seal shrank till it was only encircling the loser of the duel. Rick let out a terrified and painful scream while his opponent looked on casually. Suddenly the biker collapsed to the floor and his gang ran to him. Kanami couldn't see Rick anymore because they had circled him, but judging by their shouts, he wasn't waking up. The brunette teenager walked up to them, smiling.

"My turn!" he said, "So whose next, anybody?" the remaining bikers cowered away from him and ran, leaving their bikes behind. "Aww, and we were having so much fun. Pity they had to leave." He was Australian, judging by his accent.

The redhead ignored him and picked up the card that had materialized beside the motionless body. "I knew that guy was all talk. I could've dueled him blindfolded." He told his friend.

Kanami tried to get a good look at the card he was holding, so much so that she forgot she was hiding.

"Hello, hello. What have we here?" said the Australian. Kanami turned and realized with a start that he was looking at her. She backed up till she was against the wall, figuring that now they couldn't get behind her. They walked up until they were just a few feet away and then stared at her.

"What are you looking at?" she barked.

"Heh, I don't think she likes us Mate." The brunette laughed quietly to his friend.

Kanami looked between the two to the person still unconscious on the floor. He seemed dead. "What did you do to that guy?"

"Nothing." The red-haired teen answered. "All I did was play the Seal of Orichalcos. He lost, so it took his soul away. It could just have easily taken mine." As soon as Kanami heard those words, she thought of the stories that Saggi had told her about ancient Egypt and the Shadow Games. Did these guys really know magic?

"How about you Love?" interjected the Australian, lifting up his arm to show off his dueldisk. "You duel?"

"Not anymore." Kanami felt embarrassed, but she didn't break her gaze.

The redhead looked her over. She was wearing jeans, a gray T-shirt, an olive green jacket, and white tennis shoes. All of which was worn out and filthy, and there was a bruise on her cheek.

"What do you mean not anymore?" he sounded interested, "Something happen to you?"

Kanami looked away to hide her confusion. Who were these guys and why did they care? "Get lost." She finally said, "You're annoying me."

The redhead stepped up and gripped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Did I strike a nerve?" he asked.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed and drove her knee into his stomach. He doubled over. Kanami was about to hit him on the back of the head, when the Australian jumped her and knocked her down to the ground. When she was on her back, he leaned back on his knees and put his hands on her wrists, pinning them next to her shoulders. He was leaning sideways from her, so she couldn't kick him.

"Stay down." He ordered. Kanami looked up into his icy glare and realized how much trouble she was in. She stayed put. She only had to wait for a good opportunity to try and fight back, if she was still alive in five minutes.

The redhead got back up, but for some reason, he wasn't angry. He was more interested in something that had fallen out of Kanami's pocket when Valon tackled her. As he picked it up, Kanami realized in horror that it was the picture of her and her family about a year before her parents died.

"How sweet." he said. "What's the matter?" his stare seemed to reach right into Kanami's mind. "You can't be a runaway if you feel the need to carry this around, so what happened? Were they taken from you?"

Rage boiled up inside Kanami.

"Who do you think you are!?" She writhed and struggled to get free.

The teen holding her didn't budge. "Calm down already." For reasons Kanami couldn't figure out, she listened to him.

"You fight like someone who's got nothing to live for, but doesn't want to die." the redhead said as he bent down on one knee next to Kanami.

Kanami just stared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're pissed off at the world." the Australian answered, "Isn't that right?"

"Yes, my life sucks! It doesn't take a genius to figure that out! Now let me go!" Kanami demanded furiously.

"But it shouldn't be this way, should it? You deserve more and you know it." He finally let go of her, but she didn't move.

"We know someone who can give everything you need, everything you want." The redhead continued. He smirked. "Interested?"

Though she hated to admit it, Kanami was interested. "Show me." The two both stood up and offered her a hand each. Kanami stared at those hands like she didn't know what they were.

"We don't bite, hard." joked the Australian teen. The other boy shot him a quick glance of annoyance.

"Come on, it's okay." He said more seriously. Kanami wondered for only a second if she was going to regret this before taking their hands and pulling herself up.

"I'm Valon; this is Alister."

"Kanami. Kanami Mutou."

The next thing she knew she was on a plane. She asked herself what could have possessed her to trust these two when she saw an castle on an island out her window.

"Home sweet home mates." said Valon. Kanami's mouth dropped.

"You guys live here? In a castle?!"

"I never get tired of that reaction." Valon said smirking.

The building was even more impressive on the inside. Kanami was gaping at the hallway she was in when Alister tapped her shoulder.

"Come here." She followed him to one of the doors and when he opened it for her, she saw it was an elaborate restroom. Alister handed her a hand towel. "If you're going to meet Master Dartz, you'll need to clean up a bit. You do want to make a good impression right?" Kanami might have countered if she hadn't thought that it was true.

She hadn't looked in a mirror lately, but she guessed what she would see. She stepped in front on the mirror tentatively. She was right. The face that she saw didn't shock her though. She knew that she had been through hell and expected to see the results in her face. It was just hard to look at. Maybe it would be worth her while to hear what this Dartz had to offer her, because things couldn't get worse.

She washed her face and hands and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She still didn't look good, but it would have to do. When she came out, Alister and Valon were talking to a man that she would later find out was named Raphael. As soon as she saw him, he looked up and saw her.

"Who's this?" he asked.

Valon replied as if he were showing off a prize on a game show. "May I present the lovely and radiant Kanami Mutou?"

"New recruit." Alister said simply.

"Master Dartz needs powerful duelists and you brought in this half-pint?" Raphael scoffed. Kanami gave him a short "HA!"

"Well I would seem like a half-pint to you Goliath!" She waved her hand in his face. "Can you hear me all the way up there, or do I need to raise my voice?"

Raphael looked at Kanami like she was a persistent fly that kept buzzing around his ear. "Great, that's what we need around here, a half-pint with lip." Kanami gritted her teeth.

"Stop calling me that!" She tried to punch his jaw, but he caught her head in one hand. He made it look effortless, which only infuriated her more.

"Why bother?" Raphael asked, "You just admitted I'm bigger than you."

"Doesn't mean I can't try."

"Tough girl, huh?" He looked up at Alister and Valon. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take this girl to meet Dartz already." As he finished, he shoved her back harshly and the two caught her quickly before she tried to attack Raphael again.

"Right, let's go Kanami." said Valon. He and Alister pulled her along. Raphael walked a few steps away before he turned around and called out. "Good luck, Half-pint." Kanami glared at him, but kept walking.

_Present Day: _

There were three security guards in the lobby. From around the corner, Kanami and Raphael watched two of them take the elevator to the basement. The other was sitting behind a round desk looking at surveillance cameras, or rather wrestling with them. Thanks to Alister, all he was getting from the screens was snow.

"All right Half-pint," Raphael said quietly, "get rid of the guard and this time, hey!"

Kanami was off at the word guard. In the time it took for the him to see her and get out of his chair, Kanami had run up to the desk, jumped on top of it, and karate-kicked his head. He slammed his back against the desk and slid down to the floor. Satisfied that he was indeed out cold, she hopped off the desk and smiled at Raphael proudly. His reaction was not what she was hoping for.

"As I was saying, get rid of the guard and this time, use your magic!"

"Well, where's the sport in that?"

"Kanami." Raphael scolded with a tone that a parent might use.

At that moment, the other two guards came back and ran towards the intruders as soon as they saw them. Kanami rolled her eyes and took off her Orichalcos stone earring. She held it over her head and it began to glow with a blinding green light. When the light faded, the guards were stock-still, as if frozen in time. They each had a green aura, eerie looking as it was the only light in the room.

"Happy now?" Kanami complained, "It's not like I don't know how to use the powers of the Orichalcos."

"I'm only reminding you of what Master Dartz said." Raphael looked down at his own stone around his neck and held it in his hand. "Activating the magic contained within these stones strengthens their power which…"

"Which in turn strengthens the Great Leviathan." Kanami finished, "I know, I know." She put her earring back on. "You want to tattoo that on my arm?"

"Ha, ha, ha." was Raphael's only answer. One by one, the rest of security was "frozen," mostly by Raphael. He figured it was easier to do the job himself. Kanami went back to check on Alister. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his computer in his lap, entirely focused on its screen.

Kanami snuck up and teasingly startled him. Alister yelped, but then pulled her hair in revenge. "Ow! Alister!" she said through laughter, "So what does Mr. Pegasus say? Anything worth deleting?"

"Nothing we didn't already know about him." He continued searching for a moment. "Hey."

"What's is it?"

"Yugi and the others will already be on their way." Alister said, "Dartz will probably want us to set a trap for them."

Before anything more could be said, Raphael came and told them that Mai was dueling Pegasus. Alister, Raphael, and Kanami went to the roof of the building to find the two locked inside the Seal. Valon was watching silently and happily from the sidelines.

Just as Alister had said, Mai certainly could duel. She still had most of her lifepoints intact, while Pegasus had lost all but one hundred of his. The monsters on Mai's side of the field were Harpie Ladies, but Kanami didn't recognize his monster.

"Next I'll sacrifice two of my Harpie Ladies to summon Harpie's Pet Dragon." Mai smiled when the snarling beast appeared. "My new monster gains five-hundred attack points from the Seal of Orichalcos, plus three hundred more attack points for every Harpie Lady I have on the field, and I count four Harpies!"

_Harpie's Pet Dragon: 3700 Atk points _

Pegasus actually seemed pleased. "I activate Relinquished's special ability!" he said.

The monster that was apparently called Relinquished began to glow and all of a sudden, Harpie's Pet Dragon vanished. It soon reemerged from inside Relinquished, fused to it like some sort of wart. "Now, not only does my monster gain the same attack and defense points as your monster, but if you attack, you'll only being destroying your own monster." Pegasus grinned, "And my turn's only just begun. Relinquished, use the power of Harpie's Pet Dragon and attack her monster!"

"I activate Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation!" Mai shouted. A bright burst of flames erupted from the ground, forcing the onlookers to shield their faces. When Kanami opened her eyes, the flames had encircled Mai's harpies. "The power of my trap card stops your monster dead in it's tracks."

Sure enough, Relinquished couldn't penetrate the wall of flames that now shielded the Harpie Ladies. "Hold on!" Pegasus said angrily, "Where did you get that card? I had it banned." Valon spoke up.

"Well in case you haven't figured this out already, we Orichalcos Duelists don't take orders from you."

"I end my turn." Pegasus replied, realizing that there was no point in arguing with these people.

"Good, then I'll summon another Harpie Lady." Mai told him, "Then I'll activate my other trap card, Ultimate Offering. At the cost of five-hundred lifepoints, I can summon another Harpie Lady to the field." Now she had six harpies on the field and three thousand lifepoints.

"This isn't over. I still have one hundred lifepoints left!"

"Not for long, my move." said Mai. "You thought it was fun to steal people's souls in Duelist Kingdom, didn't you? Well now it's time for me to have a little fun. I activate Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation! Since I have six harpies, it lets me destroy up to six of your monsters." The harpies combined their power into a swirl of energy and then Relinquished and Harpie's Pet Dragon were gone. "And thanks to my magic card, the sum of your monster's attack points get subtracted from your lifepoints!"

"NO! This can't be happening!" cried out Pegasus. But it was happening, the Seal closed in on him and his soul was taken away.

"Damn." said Alister as Valon walked over to Mai to congratulate her, "She passed the test. Now we're stuck with her."

"We don't need her to be our friend; we just need her to capture souls." Raphael informed him, "That's all that matters."

Kanami wasn't listening. All she could hear were Alister's words echoing over and over in her mind. _"Dartz will probably want us to set a trap for them."_ She sighed, "Well this just keeps getting better and better."

* * *

Somebody mentioned in a review that Kanami sounds like Konami. Honestly, I got the name Kanami from the anime Scr-y-ed. I needed a female Japanese name and I just liked the sound of Kanami. I had completely forgotten about Konami, but now I just think it's funny as all get out. Besides the fact that Konami makes the Yu-gi-oh card game, the name of Kanami's brother, Yugi, means "game." XD HA HA!


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